It’s my birthday, I’ll laugh if I want to!

First blog post. Well what better timing than on my birthday….ok few days after but close enough.

It was my 32nd birthday. 32 years of being alive. Worth celebrating, right?

I was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia at the age of 16, a life-limiting condition. Instead of seeing this as a negative, I have and continue to live life to the fullest and try not to take it for granted. Every birthday since I have always made plans to celebrate.

Without this diagnosis, maybe I wouldn’t have this same appreciation towards life. Why does it take something as big as life-threatening to wake us up to this realisation?

Many people, as they get older, dread their birthdays, because they concentrate on the future. Another year older means another year closer to the end. Or they concentrate on the past, some tragedy that happened during past birthdays that keep a place in the memory.

I live in the moment. A birthday is a sign that I am still here, alive. My life may not be perfect, I don’t have everything I want, but I have all that I need.

A birthday brings with it a sense of achievement and a feeling of gratitude. I am lucky to reach 32, so many would’ve given anything to have this experience.

Do not regret growing older, It is a privilege denied to many.

This year I woke up at 2.30am and drove with my friend to watch the sunrise, I can’t think of a more perfect way to start the day. With everyone asleep, I got to see nature at its best.

It was a sunny day, which allowed me to enjoy my breakfast with my parents on the patio. My birthday had fallen on father’s day, and I got to share my breakfast with the best one.

Next stop was Langland Bay, Gower for lunch by the sea in the company of my best friend before heading off to the city, with friends, to share a laugh with the comedian Adam Hills.

What a great day, full of love, laughter and healthy food. These are the perfect ingredients for a healthy wellbeing.

I laid in bed that evening, at peace knowing it was a great day, and excited at the prospect of what the next year will bring…

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About This Site

vlog

During the fist few month of growing from depression, I was so blessed to be guided towards Mindfulness. It was something that had been introduced to me in a book. Couple of weeks later, I met someone ‘randomly’ at a works event, whom after a very brief chat told me , if I got the […]

Friday August 17th 2018 I left work at 12.30pm, had packed the car in the morning, so drove straight to collect my friend, Nia, from Cardiff. Nia piled her things in the car, including the essential: tent. This was our first time at Greenman, we had heard a lot of good things so thought it […]

Human on wheels goes coasteering with Celtic quest I gave a shout out for outdoor adventure companies in Pembrokeshire to invite me along to blog about their accessibility. Within seconds of circulating the email I received an enthusiastic reply from Cleopatra Browne at Celtic quest. Cleo said. That their accessibility wasn’t all bells and whistles […]

Wellbeing adventure is a series where I interview all the people who help and inspire me to work body, mind and spirit. In this first episode I interview Steve Rodger Phillips, The warrior of peace about his journey from his father’s death when he was only 13, to finding his spirituality and working on himself […]

I have had a busy but fun month, letting my hair down and doing things that make me happy and feed my wellbeing right. Here’s a vlog I made last weekend during a camping trip, spent outdoors in the fresh air, soaking in the vitamin D. https://youtu.be/CsTGSzGX4ac

August 18-21st, my friends and I went to V Festival and had an amazing weekend. Here’s my vlog of the weekend, I show the accessibility of the festival and how disabled people can enjoy the awesome experience of going to a festival. https://youtu.be/QvqeetllOzA

What is Human On Wheels?

Welsh speaker, 32 year old Tina hails from Gwendraeth Valley, West Wales.

Tina’s passion for the outdoors and her self-confessed status as an adrenaline junkie demonstrates her real calling in life.

A powerful advocate for accessible sports and leisure opportunities, this ‘Human On Wheels’ has done surfing, water skiing, rock climbing and skiing and has completed the Swansea 10k on her hand cycle.

She shares her positive life strategies through speeches, workshops and film making.